GIST Awareness Day – A Yearly Celebration

In the summer of 2013, the LRG launched the Rare 13 campaign, highlighting the diverse faces of GIST by drawing attention to the fact that 13 people are diagnosed with GIST every day (and that’s just within the United States!). The Rare 13 campaign was so successful that for 2014 we decided it was time for GIST to step into the spotlight and have its own global day of recognition and on Sunday, July 13, 2014, we celebrated the very first global GIST Awareness Day. We were humbled and heartened by the overwhelming support we received.

The ultimate goal of GIST Awareness Day is to bring so much attention to GIST that knowing what it is will no longer be so “rare”. GIST Awareness Day serves as the yearly pinnacle of our education, awareness and advocacy efforts and provides those outside the GIST community a chance to learn about and lend their support to this important cause. You can also get involved in raising awareness about GIST. Share your story, share facts and information about GIST, and encourage others to get involved. Use your social media platforms to promote GIST Awareness Day and support patients with this rare cancer.

But GIST Awareness Day is about more than just education and awareness. It’s also an opportunity to take action. You can support the fight against GIST by donating to organizations like The Life Raft Group, which provides vital resources and support to patients with GIST. Together, we can make a difference in the fight against GIST. Join us in raising awareness, promoting understanding, and supporting patients and their families. Together, we can create a brighter future for those affected by GIST. #thrivingtogether

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GIST Awareness Day, July 13th, 2023

The theme of GAD this year is “Thriving Together”.

Our goal for GIST Awareness Day (which happens during Sarcoma Awareness Month) is to educate as many people as possible about this rare disease, about why mutational testing is an imperative part of a GISTers journey, and to show the world that there is a powerful advocacy contingent working on behalf of patients and researchers to further research, trials, and new medical interventions for GIST.

Here are some suggested activities to show your support of GIST patients, or how you as a GISTer, can bring awareness to this disease:

Ways to Fuel GIST Research:

Read more about fundraising with the LRG HERE.

Spread Awareness on Social Media

Hashtags

#gistawarenessday2023    #ThrivingTogether    #sarcoma   @liferaftgroup

If you would like to use these logos, right click to save to your desktop to download logo. You are welcome to use the messages suggested if you like. Right click on the image and choose ‘copy’ or ‘save as’ or simply click and drag the image to your desktop. If you need any assistance, please contact: ctordella@liferaftgroup.org

Here are some examples of messages to share:

Spread GIST awareness – Tell someone about gastrointestinal stromal tumor today. ~5000 people a year are diagnosed with this rare disease and some subsets have no treatment after surgery.

Mutational Testing after a GIST diagnosis is critical to choosing an effective treatment path.  All GIST patients should have mutational testing as soon after diagnosis as possible. 

GIST is often misdiagnosed & eventually diagnosed in an emergency situation. There is not cause or predictors. And though there are 4+ lines of treatment, advanced GIST and rare subsets do not always respond to these treatments. Continuing GIST research & clinical trials is necessary for the overall survival of patients worldwide. 

I stand for GISTers everywhere fighting for testing, access to medical care and treatments, and fighting for more funding for continued research for treatments for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

GIST is a soft tissue sarcoma that often presents in the lining of the stomach. It is not stomach cancer, nor any other type of cancer no matter where it is found. A main indicator of GIST is a positive KIT stain but there a rarer subsets that require more advanced testing. Having a GIST Specialist is a great way to support long-term survival.

Here are some example of what you can do for social media posts. Feel free to take the images below and alter the message to fit your needs. You can take any of the Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter files into Canva or Pic Monkey or another image editing software and edit the message and/or add your own photos. You can also contact ctordella@liferaftgroup.org for help editing images.

examples

Instagram Story Size – download set of files HERE.

GIST Awareness Day (GAD) Events are held across the world each year on July 13th – if you are interested in organizing an event, please contact Diana Nieves, Chief Development & Involvement Officer, dnieves@liferaftgroup.org 

See posts and photo galleries of previous GIST Awareness Day celebrations: